Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko has dropped out of Wimbledon with a knee injury at Queen’s

Canadian tennis sensation Victoria Mboko will miss Wimbledon after suffering a knee injury at this week’s Queen’s Club Championships, bringing one of the most anticipated doubles partnerships with Serena Williams to an abrupt halt.

The 19-year-old, who has emerged as one of the WTA Tour’s brightest young stars, slipped awkwardly during her final 16 match against former world number one Karolína Pliskova on Wednesday. Mboko was trailing 6-2, 3-4 when she lost her footing behind the baseline while trying to change direction on the grass court.

A visibly distraught Canadian needed help to reach the net before leaving the match. A subsequent scan revealed damage to the medial collateral ligament in her left knee, forcing her withdrawal from and from Wimbledon. scheduled for the doubles quarterfinals at Queen’s alongside Williams.

Mboko confirmed the setback in an Instagram post on Friday, describing the injury as a significant disappointment after a breakout season that has seen her become one of the game’s most exciting prospects.

PARTNERSHIP TERMINATES EARLY

Her withdrawal also ends, at least temporarily, her partnership with Williams, who made a remarkable return to competitive tennis this week after nearly four years away from the sport. The pair impressed in their opening doubles match at Queen’s, defeating third seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe to build excitement ahead of their planned Wimbledon campaign.

The pair were set to face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarter-finals, but an injury to Mboka ended hopes of building on a promising start. Wimbledon organizers later confirmed that the Canadian would not be able to take her place in the main draw.

QUICK ENTRY INTERRUPTED

Mboko’s absence from the All England Club is a major blow given the momentum she has built over the past 18 months. The teenager enjoyed a stunning rise in 2025, highlighted by a memorable tournament triumph Canadian Open in Montreal. There she won her first WTA title, defeating four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the final.

The victory capped a remarkable run in which Mboko defeated four Grand Slam champions — Sofia Kenina, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Osaka. At 18 years and 11 months, she became the second youngest player to do so behind Williams, who did it at the 1999 US Open.

Born in North Carolina to Congolese parents before moving to Toronto as an infant, Mboko has steadily worked her way up the charts despite early career setbacks. After winning multiple ITF titles and impressing at the French Open, she was widely considered one of the frontrunners to make a deep run at Wimbledon.

Instead, one of tennis’ fastest-rising stars now faces an untimely spell on the sidelines as she begins her recovery.

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Issued by:

Amar Panicker

Published on:

13 Jun 2026 02:02 IST